Chapter 210 The Boomerang Hits Right Between the Eyes

Chapter 210: Chapter 210: The Boomerang Hits Right Between the Eyes

Her words caught them completely off guard.

Julian Sterling narrowed his eyes slightly, meeting her gaze. He caught the fleeting hint of deliberate mockery in Sophie’s eyes, but he remained silent. The only reason Sophie had made such an explosive remark was to intentionally disgust these wretched people. After all, she knew exactly what hit their sorest spot.

Maeve Walsh had been so self-righteous, blatantly hinting that Julian would solve their problems. That "name your price" remark was nothing more than a declaration that they were going to use her "husband’s" money to buy her off. Sophie marveled at their sheer audacity. Since they cared so much about Julian, and were itching to throw the title of "son-in-law" around to flex their power, why should she play along? Her sudden, unprompted "husband" violently shattered the veneer of this seemingly glamorous meeting.

Stella Sutton’s gaze flickered, her eyes brimming with irritation. She instinctively glanced around. After all, a select few were now aware of Sophie and Julian’s marriage. She couldn’t afford to openly bicker with Sophie without risking a PR disaster. But Sophie was utterly shameless! Knowing full well about Julian’s relationship with her, to call him that in public—she had absolutely no sense of boundaries!

"You!" Maeve’s face darkened, realizing Sophie was slapping them in the face. "Sophie, since you can’t run a successful business, is playing the pampered wife all you can think about?"

Sophie wanted to laugh. A single "husband" was enough to rile them up this much. They even tried to take the moral high ground with her. "Then what does that make your daughter, who only thinks about relying on someone else’s husband and spending his money? A leech? A locust? If that’s the case, I definitely can’t compete with her ’skills.’"

Sophie was never one to lose a battle of words. Stella’s expression grew increasingly grim. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t furious. Sophie was blatantly insulting her.

Finn Lockwood was equally stunned. How did Sophie dare? In the past, Sophie had never been allowed to act close to Julian in public on her own accord, let alone call him her husband.

Seeing them at a loss for words, Sophie wanted to grab Ivy Hawthorne and leave. But as she turned, she unexpectedly met the gaze of Julian, who had remained silent the entire time. He maintained his posture, one hand tucked in his pocket. However, as his eyes locked onto hers, he let out a soft, cryptic scoff—a smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Sophie’s brow instantly furrowed. His reaction left her feeling unsettled. To be frank, in all their years of marriage, she had never once called Julian her husband. Calling him that now probably felt jarring to him, especially since she did it right in front of his sweetheart. Aside from that, he was likely just plain angry. Good. Let him be angry. Her goal had been to infuriate them all along. She couldn’t care less about him and resumed walking away.

"Are you coming home today?" Julian suddenly spoke up, asking Sophie.

Stella whipped her head toward him, biting her lip.

Sophie was also taken aback by his meaning. Was he actually taking the initiative to care about her? She dropped two words. "I’m not."

"Alright." Julian didn’t say a single extra word, let alone try to persuade or coax her. It felt like empty politeness, entirely devoid of sincerity. Before Sophie could react, he had already turned on his long legs and walked away.

Ivy stomped her foot in frustration. "What’s his problem? It’s like he’s dying for you not to go back."

Sophie understood that too, but she shrugged nonchalantly. "It’s not my home anymore anyway."

They hadn’t walked far when Finn chased after them, his expression complicated. "Sophie, it’s just issuing a certificate. It shouldn’t be that hard, right?"

He wanted to quickly shift the focus from the project to those two individuals, thereby saving the project itself. If they kept a low profile for a while, they could eventually push it forward again. He had to handle this immediately. But Sophie was the boss of Longview. Without her nod of approval, this issue couldn’t be resolved.

Sophie stopped, turned her head, and offered Finn a smile. She was exceptionally beautiful, her palm-sized oval face adorned with striking, vibrant features. Yet, when she smiled, her dimples seemed to drip with honey, effortlessly neutralizing her cold elegance. It even made Finn freeze for a moment.

But in the next second, he heard Sophie say, "Then you should really get your eyes checked next time. Stop making blind investments. Paying for a lesson is quite a bargain, Mr. Lockwood."

Sophie had practically stabbed him right where it hurt the most. Finn’s face instantly darkened. But Sophie had already pulled Ivy along and left.

Once they were far enough away, Ivy burst into belly laughs. "Slaps for everyone, no one gets away!"

She knew all about Finn, too. He had repeatedly run his mouth at Sophie, always siding with the homewrecking mistress and throwing wads of cash at Stella for her project. Now that things had blown up in his face, wasn’t this the definition of reaping what you sow? Sophie was just stating facts!

Sophie felt considerably better herself. Ultimately, it had been his personal choice, so he had to bear the consequences alone. Finn demanding her help to clean up his mess was an unreasonable request to begin with.

The rest of Sophie’s day went incredibly smoothly. The meeting with the medical industry professional in Seabourne went exceptionally well; they hit it off, and the client was willing to sign a contract with them. Sophie had scored another victory.

By the time she got off work, it was nearly seven o’clock. Checking the date, Sophie gave her grandfather’s hospital a call. She made a point to call every couple of days to check on his condition.

As soon as the line connected, she heard the caretaker chuckle merrily. "Miss Winslow."

Sophie got into her car. "How is my grandfather doing today?"

"Very well! The old gentleman even managed an extra half-bowl of porridge."

"That’s wonderful," Sophie smiled. "He must be in a good mood?"

"Of course! His grandson-in-law came to keep him company."

The smile on Sophie’s lips vanished instantly. "Who?"

"Your husband, Mr. Sterling."

Sophie’s expression shifted. Julian went to visit her grandfather? He never did anything without an ulterior motive. She immediately made a U-turn and headed straight for the hospital.

Rushing into the room, she pushed open the door only to be greeted by a heartwarming scene by the hospital bed. Julian had taken off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of a chair. With the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, he was bending over, adjusting the angle of Quentin Winslow’s bed. The privileged golden boy, who usually never lifted a finger for manual labor, was now tending to the elderly man with practiced ease.

Quentin caught sight of Sophie. His eyes clouded with confusion for a brief moment before he recognized his granddaughter. "Mia, come here."

As Sophie walked over, Julian stepped aside to make room for her.

Quentin smiled kindly. "How do the two of you have time to come visit together today?"

Sophie couldn’t tell the truth. She simply said, "Work isn’t too busy."

"That’s good. Don’t overwork yourselves. Julian brought some fruit over there; go wash some and have a bite."

Sophie hesitated for a second before walking over and opening the fruit basket.

Julian sat by the bed, tucking the covers around the old man before suddenly asking, "How did Mia come into the family when she was little?"

Sophie snapped her head toward him. Was Julian probing for details about her origins? Previously, when Quentin had fallen into a coma from his injury, he had deliriously blurted out this secret, and Julian had heard it.

At this, Quentin’s cloudy eyes grew bewildered again. "Mia... her mother brought her back... she came from..."